Installer Sherborne Windows boosts business with REAL Aluminium

An installer has increased its aluminium business by 50% after making the leap to REAL Aluminium. Sherborne Windows is reaping the rewards of Customade Group’s complete aluminium solution after becoming one of the first installers in the UK to adopt it when it was launched a last year. Chris Long, managing director of Sherborne Windows, explains: “We are very pleased to have increased our spend on aluminium by 50% compared to the same period last year. There is a rapidly rising demand in the domestic market for aluminium and we have been able to take advantage of these positive trading conditions because we have a robust supply chain in place and access to full sales and marketing support to help us achieve growth.”

Sherborne began installing aluminium glazed roofing systems from Atlas Glazed Roof Solutions, which is also part of the Customade Group, some time ago and recognised that REAL Aluminium could help the company achieve growth in aluminium.  The company, which has three dedicated showrooms at Farnborough and Hartley Wintney in Hampshire and Windlesham in Surrey, was attracted to REAL Aluminium because of the impressive array of aluminium products available from a single source and the enviable showroom and marketing support on offer. With access to these products and the best domestic aluminium retail brochure to help the sales team to win business, Sherborne has completed dozens of large-scale installations using REAL Aluminium windows, bi-folding doors, sliding doors, French doors, residential doors and lantern roofs. Chris adds: “The quoting and product lead times for the range of REAL Aluminium products are way ahead of other fabricators and this has helped us to confidently secure new business and keep customers satisfied. The whole package behind these products is seamless and we know that we have won more aluminium work because of the support it delivers. The team at REAL is dedicated to our success and that makes an enormous difference to how smoothly our relationship with them works.”

An Atlas Skyroom and REAL Aluminium windows and doors have been installed at Sherborne’s showroom in Windlesham, whilst the Hartley Wintney site features a selection of flat rooflights, aluminium bi-folding doors and French doors. Sherborne has seen a significant uplift in aluminium sales as a direct result of homeowners visiting the showroom. “We know that displaying products in the right way will influence a sale so we made a sizeable investment in our showrooms which showcase the complete range of REAL Aluminium products. This decision has paid off for us and the number of sales enquiries we receive has increased on last year. Visitors can see and feel the quality of the products and really imagine how they will look in their homes,” says Chris. Sherborne has also taken advantage of the comprehensive showroom and marketing support package from REAL Aluminium which includes the 36-page luxury REAL Aluminium brochure – the UK’s only retail brochure dedicated to the full range of aluminium fenestration products. Sherborne has every brochure personalised with their logo and company details.

REAL Aluminium is designed to eliminate the common pitfalls associated with the supply of aluminium and to make sourcing aluminium as easy as buying PVC-u. The REAL range of aluminium windows, bi-folding doors, sliding doors, French doors, residential doors, composite doors and lantern roofs is manufactured in a dedicated factory, which holds more than 100 miles of aluminium extrusions in stock in the four most popular colours Lead times for REAL are much shorter than other aluminium fabricators at just two weeks.  The Customade group now operates nationwide and employs 900 people in multiple manufacturing sites across the UK. The Group includes Polyframe (PVC-u), REAL Aluminium (aluminium), Atlas Glazed Roof Solutions (glazed roofs), Virtuoso (composite and paneled doors), Hourglass Seal (sealed glass units), and Fineline Aluminium (specialist glazing).